


Anklebone of Contention

by Spinofflady



Series: Race to the Edge [8]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:25:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinofflady/pseuds/Spinofflady
Summary: Dagur is determined to win favor in the eyes of his sister, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to do so. But when one of his plans backfires, both realize they need to reevaluate the other.





	1. Chapter 1

Heather stormed up to the clubhouse, her last resort to find a place where Dagur wasn’t. Her brother simply wouldn’t leave her alone. Be it trying to help with something to cracking a stupid joke, he always seemed to be talking to her. She stomped into the kitchen where Catia was preparing some soup.

Normally Heather would’ve tried to find some way to improve the dish, and attempt to make it better, but she was simply to furious to say anything.

“What’s wrong with you?” Catia asked, dumping some chopped carrots into the pot.

“Dagur,” Heather frowned, crossing her arms with a huff.

“What did he do?”

“He won’t leave me alone!” She exclaimed, plopping down on the table and making all the dishes clatter. “I can’t do anything without him being around. I can’t say something without him turning it into a conversation. I can’t even walk through a door without him trying to hold it for me!”

Catia glanced back over her shoulder at her angry friend. “It sounds to me like he’s just being nice,” she said, confused.

“More like a nuisance,” Heather growled, tapping a wooden chair with her foot. She sat complaining for a few more minutes, until Astrid walked in commenting on how good it smelled. Heather rolled her eyes.

“Oh, hey Heather,” Astrid greeted, suddenly spotting her on the table. “I didn’t see you there. Dagur was looking for you.”

Heather jumped up. “You didn’t tell him where I was, did you?”

“No…”

Heather let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I can’t seem to get rid of him. He’s like a mutant shadow that tracks me like a Rumblehorn.” Realizing that her analogy wasn’t the greatest, she stopped talking and sat back down on the table.

“He just wants to be around you,” Astrid said, pulling out the chair and sliding into it. “To get to know you. He’s a super talkative person.”

“Oh, I know,” Heather chortled. “Believe me, I know.”

“Heather, just because you aren’t the most talkative person does not make it a bad trait,” Catia replied, dropping some crushed herbs into the soup. “He probably just wants to be friends with you, and to be treated nicely in return.”

Heather gave an exasperated groan, leaning back to lay on the table. “I don’t want to be ‘friends!’ He tried to kill me! And he’s annoying with a capital ‘a!’”

Astrid laughed. “Trying to kill you and being annoying are the same amount of bad?”

“You know what I mean! I need your help to get rid of him!”

“You could poison him.”

“No.”

“You could train Shattermaster to chase him off Dragon’s Edge.”

“No.”

“You could booby trap his hut with a slingshot to shoot him out of the atmosphere.” Ruffnut said, suddenly walking into the kitchen. “Who are we talking about?”

“Dagur,” Heather muttered. “And no, I’m not doing that either.”

“You could try being nice to him,” Catia suggested, shrugging.

“I think you’re missing the point. I want to get rid of him.”

“Well, then hire an assassin,” Ruffnut snorted, as if it were the most obvious thing ever said.

Heather rolled her eyes again. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” Catia exclaimed, taking the pot off the fire. “Be nice to him! If he gets what he wants, he’ll leave you alone!”

Heather sat for a minute, screwing up her face as she thought. As much as she did not want to be nice to her brother, Catia’s suggestion did make sense. “I guess I could go on that hike he’s been bugging me about,” she sighed. “Maybe he’d let up.”

“Exactly,” Catia quipped, dishing up her soup. “Now, would you like to try this?”

“No,” Heather replied, appalled. “Why would I want to try something inferior?”

“Inferior to what?” Catia chuckled. “The soup you haven’t actually made?”

“I will have you know-”

“Okay, break it up,” Astrid jumped in before they could get carried away. “I will try the soup. Heather, just go and get Dagur of your back. Okay?” She glared at the two of her friends, almost daring them to speak one more word about cooking or soup. It was as if they were mortal enemies the moment food came up.

Both muttered their agreement, and Heather slouched out of the kitchen to find her brother.

. . .

Heather stood at the start of the trail, chewing on her lip impatiently. She and Dagur had agreed to meet early enough to finish the hike before lunch, but as long as it was taking him to show up, they would never get back. She scanned the area again and finally sat down on the ground, firmly deciding never to set a time with Dagur again. Apparently he was completely unreliable. Windshear growled with impatience.

He finally appeared, Shattermaster following close behind. The dragon had jars and baskets strapped to every part of his body. Dagur offered her one of his ridiculous grins, as if trying to make up for being late. Heather decided not to bother bringing up how late he was; there was no point.

“What is all that?” she asked dryly, pointing the bundles strapped to the dragon.

“Lunch!” Dagur smiled, as if it were obvious.

“We were supposed to be done before lunch.”

“I know, but what could be more fun that hiking and a picnic?”

“A lot of things,” Heather muttered under her breath. “Let’s just go.”

The two wordlessly started up the trail, the jars on Shattermaster clanging with every step. _Be nice_ , Heather reminded herself. _But how am I supposed to be nice to him? He tried to kill me multiple times! Just…pretend to be nice. You’re good at pretending. Say nice things, don’t use the axe, yeah. Just play it cool._

“Nice day, isn’t it?” Dagur asked attempting to break the awkward silence.

 _It’d be a lot nicer if I didn’t have to spend it with you._ “Yeah, the rain last week really cooled the weather down.” _Good grief, Heather, you are so fake!_

“This time of year is always beautiful. The trees are just starting to change colors, it’s still fairly warm. I love fall.”

 _I’d love it if you would fall. Boy, that was corny._ “I prefer spring myself.” _How on earth is the conversation that’s going on in my head more interesting than the one I’m having with you? Oh yeah, I forgot. You’re boring._

“I always get allergies in the spring. My eyes itch and my nose runs and I have a headache all the time!”

 _I know what allergies are, Dagur. I’m the smart one, remember?_ “That doesn’t sound very pleasant.” _Not that I care, of course._

“Are you allergic to anything?”

 _What kind of question is that? Are you gonna poison me or something?_ “No. I sometimes get seasonal allergies, but nothing like Astrid.”

“She gets it bad?”

 _Uh, yeah! She almost dies! Oh, you don’t know about that. Perfect, now I get to explain the whole thing._ “Not seasonal allergies. She’s allergic to bee stings. The last time she got stung she broke out in hives, and couldn’t breathe. Luckily Gothi whipped up some concoction to counter it, but now she has to carry a little package of it in case she gets stung.” _Why did I just say all that? You don’t need to know._

“Wow. I didn’t know allergies could be that bad.”

“I wasn’t here at the time, but apparently she almost died.” _Okay, time to change the subject. What to say…what to say._

“I bet that was pretty scary. How’d Hiccup take it?”

 _How the heck should I know?! I_ _just said I wasn’t there!_ “I don’t know.”

“What’s the relationship between those two, anyway? There’s obviously some chemistry, but they are so determined to stay ‘just friends.’”

 _This was not what I had in mind for a change of topic! Why do you even care, Dagur?_ “To be honest, I don’t even know. I know they like each other, but they won’t come clean about it. They both flirt all the time, but anytime I ask Astrid about she’s like ‘we’re just friends.’” _Oh yeah, totally friends._

Dagur snorted. “I don’t know about Astrid, but Hiccup is way into her. I caught him staring at her with this ridiculous, dopey grin on his face. He may as well have been drooling!”

Heather laughed. _Did I seriously just laugh? That wasn’t even funny. Well, it was, but I can’t laugh if he said it._ “Drooling?”

“Just about! He never says or does anything inappropriate, but he was most definitely checking her out!”

“Dagur!”

“Well, he was! I don’t want to say anything I shouldn’t, but she’s not easy to overlook.”

 _Eww! Did he just say that?_ “Are you saying you like her?” Heather knew she looked disgusted, but didn’t care.

“No! Just saying she’s attractive. I mean, your attractive too, but you’re my sister, so I can’t say that without it sounding all wrong.”

 _Yeah, it sounds very, very wrong. In fact, everything you’ve said sounds wrong. So just stop talking!_ “You should probably stop. It does sound wrong.”

“Yeah…I heard there was something going on between you and Fishlegs.”

 _Really, Dagur?! Really!? Can we not talk about ANYTHING else!?_ “Um, yeah, I guess. Nothing big.”

“So you’re not dating?”

 _Oh my gosh! You are not my mother! Stop asking me this stuff! You are so lucky I’m trying to be nice!_ “Sure, we kissed once, but that doesn’t mean we’re dating.” _Oh. My. Gods. I just said that out loud. Thor almighty, just kill me know!_

“Oh, really?” Dagur smirked at her.

“Yeah, really. It wasn’t a big deal. It lasted like, two seconds. He walked me back to my hut and everything seemed really romantic and it just kinda happened. We never even talked about it.” _AH! STOP TALKING, HEATHER! YOU ARE DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND TELLS THEIR BROTHER THIS STUFF!? YOU DIDN’T EVEN TELL ASTRID YET!_

“Well, okay. So tell me how you met Windshear.”

Heather breathed a sigh of relief and happily relayed the story, her cheeks still burning.

. . .

The two finally stopped for lunch, Dagur producing a very large meal. The butter he had brought had all melted, and the meat was cold, but since Heather was being nice, she didn’t say anything. She had to admit it was not the most delicious thing she had ever tasted, but certainly no worse than Astrid’s cooking. Her food was very likely toxic.

She finally got tired of talking about herself, and turned the conversation around. “So, why did you stop trying to kill the dragon riders?” she asked, shifting around on her place sprawled out across the blanket.

Dagur sighed and thought for a moment. “I guess it was your fault,” he answered at last.

“My fault?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t until you came into the picture that I started thinking about anybody other than myself. It started out when Ryker started to pick on you, and I just knew it was wrong. As soon as I began to be protective of you, other people started to matter more. When I realized that even I was expendable to Viggo, I was done. I wanted to be in a place where my allies wouldn’t turn on me, and I had support. The only time I had ever felt that way was with you, so as soon as I got the chance, I set out looking for you. So yeah, it’s your fault.” He offered her a goofy grin.

“Well, at least you’re no longer murdering five people daily.”

“I never did that!”

Heather sighed. “Let’s not go there. However, I would like to see the view from the top of that peek, so I suggest we go there.” She pointed to a large cliff, easily accessible with a little climbing.

“Sure!” Dagur agreed. “Race you!”

“I don’t want race.”

“Oh, come on! My sister? Backing down from a challenge?”

Heather glared at him, but he had a strong defense. He somehow mastered the puppy dog gaze while they were separated, and he easily guilted her into it. “Fine!” she groaned, getting up. Giving him a devilish glance, she bolted without warning.

“Hey!” he shouted, scrambling to his feet to catch up with her.

Heather laughed and jumped up a few rocks, agilely scampering across them like a mountain goat. Dagur didn’t know she and Astrid had trained on a cliff very similar to this one. She glanced behind her, realizing that Dagur was easily gaining.

She started to run up a flat incline, trying to be careful on the slick slope. She could hear Dagur behind her, so she kicked a stone loose to stop him. It worked, and he tripped, grabbing a hold of her foot as he did. She tumbled backward with a scream as she slid of the edge of the flat rock.

She hit the dirt below, knocking the wind out of her and she slide a few more feet on the ground. Her right foot stuck in a crevasse between to rocks and twisted as she continued to slide. Her leg wrenched loose and she rolled into another rock, finally stopping.

“Heather!” Dagur shouted, jumping down off the rocks and running toward her. “Are you okay?”

She finally caught her breath, though it was still shaky. She slowly looked herself over, trying to spot any blood. “Yeah,” she whispered, inspecting her scuffed palms. “Why is the world did you grab my foot!?” she glared up at him furiously, knowing he could have gotten her killed.

“I’m sorry,” Dagur defended, "I just wanted to trip you back.”

“It didn’t cross you mind that I could go failing over the edge?! I could have died!”

“I know, I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to!”

“Why should I believe you?! All you’ve ever tried to do is hurt me!”

“Heather, if I had known that was going to happen I never would have suggested we hike! I know I tried to hurt you, but I promise it’s the farthest thing from my mind now!”

“How do I know you’re not lying to my face?” she shouted back. “I can’t trust you!” With that she stood and shakily brushed herself off, and started to walk away. But the moment her right foot touched the ground, a knife of pain stabbed through her ankle. She pitched forward, Dagur luckily catching her before she fell again.

“I’m fine,” she growled. “Stop trying to help!” She tried another step, and this time the pain was worse.

“Is your ankle-”

“My ankle is fine! It’s sprained, if anything!” She bit her lip and limped a few more steps.

“You shouldn’t walk on it, it might be broken.”

Heather turned and glared at him. “It’s not broken!” With that she stormed, as best she could, down the hill.

. . .

“It’s broken,” Catia confirmed, feeling around on Heather’s swollen and bruised foot. “You’re lucky the fracture isn’t worse.”

Dagur had insisted, after all but carrying Heather down the mountain, that she have Catia look her foot over. Her foot was so swollen that they almost had to cut her boot off. Now he stood in the back of the room, eyeing her with an “I told you so,” gaze.

“Well, wrap it up and let's move on,” Heather grumbled, still angry with Dagur for tripping her.

“I'm afraid it doesn’t work that way,” Catia said with a smile, as she gently put Heather’s foot back in the tube of ice water. “It’s so swollen I can’t wrap it now, and even when I do, you can’t bear any weight on it for at least four weeks.”

“A whole month?” Heather moaned. “What am I supposed to do for an entire month?!”

Catia stood. “Read,” she offered, throwing her friend a sympathetic glance as she left.


	2. Chapter 2

Heather flopped back on her bed with a groan, snapping her book shut and tossing it next to the pile beside her bed. Fishlegs had brought her an entire stack of books, which granted were not boring, but she had been reading all day. Her friends were busy training, and as much as they wanted to keep her company, they still had work to do.

She had tried to convince Catia to let her use her crutches to move around and at least interact with her friends, but Catia stubbornly told her to keep her foot immobilized. She debated whether she wanted to recount the logs that made up her ceiling, but that was bound to make her even more bored.

A knock sounded on the door, and Hiccup peaked inside. “You in here?” he asked.

“Where else would I be?” she muttered, blowing her hair out of her face.

Hiccup chuckled. “How you holding out?”

“Utterly and completely miserable,” she huffed. “I’m either going to die of boredom or inactivity.”

“Nah, you’ll survive,” Hiccup smiled, seating himself in a chair.

“I have never been this bored in my whole life!” Heather wailed, grabbing a pillow and smashing it into her face.

“I’ve never heard you complain this much in my life,” Hiccup replied, smirking.

“I never had a reason to. And I’m going to have to spend a whole month like this.” She paused. “And here I am complaining to you of all people about it.” She eyed his peg-leg, offering him a look of remorse.

“Honestly, you have it worse,” he said, catching her off guard. “I was unconscious for most of the time.”

“Lucky,” Heather frowned. “I wish I could sleep through it.”

“I wouldn’t say lucky.”

“You know what I mean. Now did you come here just to torment me with news from the outside world, or do you have a reason?”

Hiccup laughed. “Yeah. Catia wanted to know what you wanted for dinner.”

“A hefty dose of anti-boredom.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“Fine. That fish thing she made the other night was really good.”

“I was really hoping you’d say that,” Hiccup smiled. “That stuff was amazing.”

“Don’t tell her I agree with you.”

Hiccup shook his head, laughing. “You two.”

“Hey, where’s Astrid?” Heather asked, changing the topic to a more serious one. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

Hiccup’s forehead creased with worry lines. “She’s not feeling good,” he said, wringing his hands slightly. “She said she felt feverish around noon and went back to her hut. I hate to think I gave her what I had.”

“What did you have?” Heather asked, her curiosity peeked.

“A few nights ago I had this weird fever. It came out of nowhere. I went to bed feeling awful and the next day I woke up feeling fine.”

“Well then, shoo.” Heather told him, smiling. “I’d hate to be hurting, bored, and sick.”

“Of course, of course,” Hiccup laughed, getting up and walking out the door. “Someone will bring you dinner. Hang in there!”

Heather sighed as she realized she was alone again, and reluctantly started to count the rafters.

. . .

Heather lay on her bed, hanging over the edge as she skimmed through one of her books for the third time that morning. The past few days had been miserable, and she wasn’t sure if her life could get worse. Catia had finally splinted her foot, so at least she could hobble around on her crutches now. But even that jostling movement hurt so much that it wasn’t really worth it, and so she remained stuck in her room.

It was currently pouring rain outside, and Heather figured that everyone had taken shelter in their huts or the clubhouse. They were probably bored too, but she wished that they would come be bored with her.

Granted, they were all more than likely using the opportunity to take a nap, as that was a rare occasion, but she was still lonely and bored beyond belief. She felt just as bad for Windshear, who had been locked inside with her for a week. Astrid luckily felt better quickly, and she and Catia often checked in with their friend. Fishlegs had taking the Razorwhip out for a few flights to keep her from getting stiff, which only made Heather feel worse.

If only she hadn’t been so stupid as to agree to anything Dagur suggested! His ideas always led to disaster. Even now she still had faint memories of his getting her in trouble when they were young. He always had been and always would be a trouble maker.

A knock sounded on the door, and Heather excitedly sat up. Finally! Some relief from her boredom! “Come in!”

The door creaked open, and Heather’s face fell as Dagur peeked in. “Oh, great,” she moaned. “It’s you.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Dagur murmured, stepping through the door, a big box as well as a plate of food in his hands. “I figured you were bored, so I came to keep you company.”

“I don’t need, or want, your company,” Heather snarled back, praying he would take the hint and leave.

“I really don’t care,” Dagur replied simply, setting the food down on the small table beside her bed. “You may not know this, Heather, but I can be just as stubborn and grumpy as you can. So prepare yourself. If this is how you want to play, it’s fine with me.”

Dagur opened up his box, which revealed to be the Maces and Talons board, and he proceeded to tell her that he was going to teach her how to play. Heather moaned and complained about it at first, but stopped quickly when she realized that Dagur completely ignored her. Surely there was a way to test his patience.

“Why can’t the warriors move more than one space per play?” she grumbled as their game went on. It made no sense. The rules were just plain stupid. She still wasn’t even sure that she understood the difference between a move and a play.

“Because,” Dagur replied shortly. “They just can’t.”

“Well, who came up with that dumb rule?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not dumb. It keeps the game interesting.”

“Would we say interesting?”

“Yes. Yes we would. Quit being a grouch.”

“I wouldn’t be grouchy if you hadn’t pushed me off a cliff!”

“I didn’t push you off!”

“Yes, you did! And now I’m an invalid!”

“Heather, I didn’t push you off! Yes, it was my fault, but I had no intention of hurting you!”

“Just go away, Dagur! I am sick and tired of your ridiculous schemes to try and win me over!” Heather was now screaming, her eyes flashing with anger. “I don’t trust you, and I never will! So leave! Just get out!”

Dagur stepped back, hurt obviously showing in his eyes. “Heather, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Heather growled, pointing to the door. “Go and don’t come back! I don’t ever want to see you again!”

“But-”

“GO!”

Dagur’s eyes dropped, and her stared at the floor. She had hurt him with her words, but she was so furious that she didn’t care. She was done being nice to him. He was still as selfish and cruel as he had ever been.

Dagur turned to leave, whispering, “Good bye, then, sister.” With that he left, clearly brushing tears out of his eyes.

Heather scoffed. He was such a fake. As if it really hurt him that much for her to send him away. He just wanted her help, maybe so he could over throw Dragon’s Edge and seek revenge on Viggo.

She wished she had just stayed in hiding and never sought him out in the first place. She would never have known she was related to him, she wouldn't have a broken ankle, and she probably would’ve been living just as happily as ever. But no, Dagur had to show up and ruin it all.

Her mind suddenly traveled to the letter that was in the drawer of her night stand. She had been so soft-hearted to actually cry over that note. It must have been hormones toying with her emotions. He must have thought he could make it out alive. He would’ve only done such an act for fame and glory.

Yet even now that he was back, he never once bragged about saving them all. He only wanted her respect. Oh, how stupid could she be! There was no point thinking about the good things her brother did! He was a sly, double-crossing, no-good, slime ball and she never wanted to see him again!

But her mind would not let the subject alone. What if he really had changed? What if it really did matter to him what her opinion was? What if there was more to him than seeking fame and fortune and wrecking havoc.

She eyed the plate of food next to her bed, and a plan slowly formed in her mind. Dagur claimed that he was different, but what would he do if everything was put to the test?

. . .

Dagur came running back to his sister’s hut, his mind racing. Poison? How could Heather be poisoned? What despicable traitor would do that to her? Breathless, he pushed open the door, even though she had specifically said never to come back. He didn’t care anymore.

Heather lay on her bed, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Her eyes were closed, as if sleeping. She was hardly breathing, and if not for the rise and fall of her chest, he would have assumed her to be dead.

His eyes settled on the half eaten plate of food next to her, obviously the source of the deadly poison. But how had it gotten there? He had made it himself, and he was positive that no one had tampered with it!

Catia had been working next to Heather, flipping through one of her healing books. She glanced up at him. “Dagur,” she smiled sadly. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“What happened?” Dagur asked sitting down of the edge of Heather’s bed.

“I really don’t know,” Catia replied, but it appears as though she’s been poisoned.”

“How?” Dagur shook his head. “I made the food myself. There is no way she could have been poisoned.”

Catia eyed him warily.

Realization dawned in his eyes. “You think I did it, don’t you?”

Catia nodded, glancing down. “I don’t think you did it on purpose. Different herbs with different foods can become poisonous if mixed together. I think that’s what you unintentionally did.”

Dagur swallowed hard. This was his fault? “Can you fix it?”

“I don’t know what the cause is,” Catia sighed, looking at him sorrowfully. “If I don’t know the cause, I don’t know the cure.”

Dagur rubbed his forehead, gazing down at his ailing little sister. She had been fine when he left! Now she was dying, probably, and it was his fault. Maybe it would be better for him to go and never come back. It seemed all he could manage to do was hurt her.

“Dagur, Astrid is going to tell the others what is happening,” Catia said suddenly. “I sent her to tell you, but the others will know.”

“So?” Dagur asked, failing to see her point.

“They are going to know that Heather was poisoned,” Catia went on. “And they are going to blame you.”

Dagur shuddered. He would be suspected no doubt. They would banish him for certain, if not worse.

“If you leave now, I will stall them,” Catia urged. “I know you didn’t want to hurt her. But the others might not be so understanding. You should leave while you can.”

“And leave Heather here to fend for herself? Over my cold, dead body!”

“Listen to me, Dagur! What you are doing is foolish! Don’t waste your life like this! You must go! I will even pay you! Just go! Hiccup will turn you over to his father, and you will either be locked up again, or perhaps even killed. There is no point in staying here for Heather, if all she lives to see is you being blamed for trying to kill her. I won’t say anything about what you accidentally did. But for your own good, go, Dagur!”

Dagur looked from Catia to his sister. He knew Catia was worried about what would happen to him, in all honesty, he was too. But as much as he wanted to run, he knew that it was his duty to stay. Heather was the last known piece of his family, and as much as even she wanted to get rid of him, he also knew that he needed to stay with her. It was his duty to look out for her, to protect her, to be loyal.

“Thank you for your concern,” he said quietly to Catia. “But I will not leave my sister.”

Catia shook her head and stood. “You are unwise,” she said sadly. “This will gain you nothing but more trouble.” She solemnly walked out of the hut, leaving him with his sister and a growing knot in his stomach.

Heather looked worse now. Whatever poison he had created was taking its toll, sucking life out of her minute by minute. Guilt tore at his mind. Why could he not keep his family together? Why had he let his greed and lust for power take away what was truly important?

He sighed, tearing up just a little at the thought of losing his beloved little sister. She may hate him, but he loved her more than anything. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Heather,” he started out, staring at the floor. “But I hope you can. I just want to say that I’m sorry. I know that it would take more than a miracle for you to actually believe that, but it’s true. I never, ever, ever meant to hurt you. Well, I guess in the beginning I did, but that changed. I wish I could undo everything, so that our family could be together again.” He paused, taking a quick glance at her face.

“I just want you to know that I’m going to stay to the end of this, whether it’s my end or…or your end.” His voice cracked, and he realized how difficult it would be to accept her end. “I’m sorry, Heather,” he whispered, venturing to briefly grasp one of her cold hands in his own. “I’m so, so, so, so sorry. You were the best little sister I could ever ask for.”

Suddenly able to bear the sight of what he had done, he turned away brushing tears out of his eyes. He had never really cried before—he had never had a reason, but Heather was more than enough reason. She had always been the baby of the family, and everyone loved her. He could remember playing with her when they were young, and often getting her in trouble because he was so jealous of the attention she received. He hadn’t never been a very good brother, and now he might not have the chance.

He sniffed, trying to keep back the tears, cursing the stupid emotions silently. Why couldn’t he have just done everything right, so that maybe Heather could still be okay. His whole family had been torn apart on his account, mainly because he had been so selfish. And so right there, he tearfully decided he would never be selfish again.

But as he sat crying and setting new life goals, he suddenly felt arms wrap around his shoulders and a head rest on his shoulder. Confused, he turned and realized it was Heather.

“Oh, Dagur,” she whispered. “You were right. You really are different.”

Still sniffing and more than shocked, Dagur managed to ask what she was talking about.

“I was testing you,” Heather replied happily. “I wanted to see if you had really changed, so I got Catia and Astrid to help me. I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. You’re the best big brother I could ever ask for.”

Dagur still hadn’t found his tongue, but overjoyed that Heather was really okay, he hugged her back. It was the best moment of his life so far. Even if Heather hadn’t forgiven him for everything he had done yet, she still accepted him as family. Maybe even as a friend.

Heather pulled away with a smile, and quickly brushed the remaining tears of his cheeks. “You better stop crying,” she teased. “It might make it hard to finish teaching me how to play Maces and Talons.” She was almost instantly at the game board, both ready to win.

Dagur grinned and walked back to the game board, cracking his knuckles. “Let the game begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So everyone, what do you think of Anklebone of Contention? Good? Bad? Let me know in the comments! 
> 
> Also, keep an eye out for the next book in the series, "Get Well Soon." For those of you waiting for more Hiccstrid, here is the story for you!
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos! and thanks for reading!
> 
> ~Spinofflady


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